KSHSAA will not oversee investigation into death of Shawnee Mission NW football player

SHAWNEE, Kansas (KCTV) — The Kansas State High School Activities Association has announced it will not oversee the investigation into the death of a Shawnee Mission Northwest student-athlete following an offseason practice.

Ovet Gomez-Regalado, 15, suffered what school officials called a “medical incident” during an offseason football practice on Wednesday, August 14. He died two days later in the hospital.

The KSHSAA will not directly oversee the investigation or take disciplinary action if misconduct is found because it happened during offseason workouts, though the organization said it was deeply saddened by Gomez-Regalado's death. Instead of the KSHSAA, all investigations will be led by the Shawnee Police Department and the Shawnee Mission School District.

When Bill Faflick, executive director of the KSHSAA, learned that a 15-year-old had died during preparations for the football season, he was devastated.

“This is very unusual and the first time in my seven years with the association,” said Faflick. “So it is a difficult time for everyone involved.”

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Because Ovet Gomez-Regalado's medical incident occurred before the start of the regular season, the KSHSAA said the school district will monitor the investigation into the causes of this tragedy.

“We always rely on the school to give us as much information as possible,” Faflick said. “So that we can learn as much about what is happening as the member school does, so that we can develop strategies and apply best practices.”

The cause of Ovet’s death is still unknown.

The KSHSAA Heat and Weather Policy regulations go into effect this week. They state, among other things: “Only one workout per day is permitted for the first 5 days of practice. All individuals are permitted to practice only once per day for the first five days of practice, regardless of when the individual joins the team or if they miss days due to injury/illness. b. No single workout may exceed 3 hours. All warm-up, stretching, conditioning and strength exercises are included in the 3-hour limit..”

Faflick said there is also a limit on the number of training sessions in the first week.

“They can do individual training in the first five days,” said Faflick. “All of these rules have been adopted by the association.”

However, the KSHSAA regulates what kind of offseason training can take place. That means Gomez-Regalado and other players can only do non-contact running and weight lifting exercises without full padding.

The Johnson County Coroner's Office has not yet determined an official cause of death for Gomez-Regalado. The Shawnee Mission School District did not respond to KCTV's question about current investigation results.

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